Nanosecond fluorescence techniques including nanosecond time-resolved emission spectroscopy and nanosecond time-resolved anisotropy will be used to investigate the kinetics of several excited-state processes. These include solvent relaxation, proton transfer, energy transfer and the rotational motions of macromolecules. The kinetic information available from the fluorescence studies will be used to evaluate solvation and proton transfer at protein binding sites and in phospholipid vesicles. Instrumental methods and computational procedures required for analysis of fluorescence decay data will be improved. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Brand, L., Laws, W. R., Easter, J. H. and Gafni, A., "Fluorescence Probes and Nanosecond Fluorometry", Birks, J. B. Ed. "Excited States of Biological Molecules", John Wiley, New York, p. 14 (1976). Easter, J. H., DeToma, R. P. and Brand, L., "Nanosecond Time-Resolved Emission Spectroscopy of a Fluorescence Probe Adsorbed to L-alpha-Egg Lecithin Vesicles", Biophys. J. 16, 571 (1976).